釋淨土群疑論 5.3

5.3

釋曰：諸佛說法皆為逗機，機有深淺大小不同、惑有人法見修差別，故陳法要化彼物機，或呵有讚空、或毀空稱有、或令棄小學大、或令先學小乘後學大乘，故機有萬途、法成八萬，隨緣化物難可思議。只如此經所說，其訶有所得心，寧為五逆之罪；餘有聖教復言「寧起我見如須彌山，不起空見如芥子許。」又如《法華經》說「不得親近小乘三藏學者」，《十輪經》說「無力飲池河，詎能吞大海？不習小乘法，何能學大乘？」如是等諸大乘經，訶有訶空、讚大讚小無有定說，並為逗機不同。然即佛有真應二身、學者有初後兩別，然法身深妙離有離無，四句並亡、百非俱喪，此即深學之士能於第一義諦心不驚動，然猶住著諸相、不亡分別之心，故此經訶有所得心，令除人法二執，使觀無所得法，修念法身之佛。故此經文言「見無所有名為念佛」。若初學之人捨邪歸正，發菩提心願生淨土，於無所得未解安心，或復觀空言因果寂滅，遂即無心怖罪更起蓋纏。若不為其廣說善惡因果、淨穢差別、諸佛身相不可思議，何能發彼善心、怖斯罪障，厭茲穢土、欣彼淨方，注想白毫、諦觀諸相，滅除罪累、成彼勝因，故勸觀色身，教斯淺學人也。故《賢護經》第一說「賢護！若比丘比丘尼等清淨持戒、具足諸行，如是思惟隨何方所，即若西方阿彌陀佛，如是想念：彼佛正覺今在西方。繫念思惟觀察不已，了了分明，終獲見彼阿彌陀佛。如是觀色身。」向下又有經言「今者阿彌陀如來應正等覺，具有如是三十二相八十隨形好，身色光明如融金聚，如是乃至不念彼如來，亦不得彼如來色已，如是次第得空三昧。善男子！是為諸佛現前三昧也。」又《觀佛三昧海經》云「如來亦有法身十力、四無畏、三解脫諸神通事。如是妙處非汝凡夫所學境界，但當深心起隨喜想。起是想已，當復繫念念佛功德。」故知初學之輩觀彼色身，後學之徒念法身也，故言如是次第得空三昧。又樂觀理佛，示以無相之身；求念事身，說以相好之體。當須善會經意，勿生毀讚之心，妙知大聖巧逗根機者。

Explanation: When the Buddhas teach the Dharma, it is always to adapt to capacities. Capacities have the distinctions of deep and shallow, great and small; delusions have the differences of persons and dharmas, of view and cultivation. Therefore they present the essentials of the Dharma to transform those capacities of living beings, sometimes reproaching existence and praising emptiness, sometimes deprecating emptiness and extolling existence, sometimes causing them to abandon the Small and study the Great, or sometimes causing them to study the Small Vehicle first and then study the Great Vehicle. Thus, capacities have ten thousand paths, and the Dharma amounts to eighty thousand [teachings]; transforming living beings in accordance with conditions is difficult to conceive. Just as this sūtra says, reproaching the mind of apprehension, it is better to commit the sins of the five inexpiables; yet other holy teachings also state: 'It is better to arouse the view of a self as high as Mount Sumeru than to arouse the view of emptiness even as small as a mustard seed.' Moreover, just as the Lotus Sūtra states, 'One must not associate with scholars of the Small Vehicle Tripiṭaka,' while the Daśacakra Sūtra states, 'Lacking the power to drink from ponds and rivers, how could one swallow the great ocean? Without practicing the Small Vehicle Dharma, how could one study the Great Vehicle?' Such Mahāyāna sūtras as these, reproaching existence and reproaching emptiness, praising the Great and praising the Small, have no fixed doctrine; they are all due to adapting to different capacities. Furthermore, the Buddha has the two bodies of the true and the responsive, and practitioners have the two differences of beginners and advanced. The dharmakāya is profound and subtle, free from existence and free from non-existence, with the four propositions both eradicated and the hundred negations entirely extinguished. This is when practitioners of deep study can remain unperturbed in mind regarding the ultimate truth, yet they still dwell upon and cling to characteristics, unable to extinguish the mind of discrimination. Therefore, this sūtra reproaches the mind of apprehension, causing them to eliminate the two attachments to person and dharmas, bringing them to contemplate the Dharma of non-apprehension and practice mindfulness of the Buddha of the dharmakāya. Hence this sūtra text states, 'Seeing non-existence is called buddhānusmṛti.' If beginners abandon the heterodox and return to the orthodox, generate the bodhicitta, and aspire to be born in the pure land, they have not yet understood how to settle their minds in non-apprehension; or if they contemplate emptiness and say that cause and effect are extinguished, they will consequently have no heart to fear sin and will arouse further hindrances and bondages. If one does not expound for them the causes and effects of good and evil, the distinctions of purity and defilement, and the inconceivable physical marks of the Buddhas, how could they generate that good mind, fear these sinful hindrances, loathe this defiled land, delight in that pure realm, focus their thoughts on the white curl between the eyebrows, attentively contemplate the marks, eliminate their accumulation of sins, and accomplish those superior causes? Therefore, contemplating the physical body is encouraged to teach these beginners. Hence, the first fascicle of the Bhadrapāla Sūtra states: 'Bhadrapāla! If monks, nuns, and others purely maintain the precepts and are complete in all practices, thus reflecting on whatever direction, such as the Western Amitābha Buddha, thinking and recollecting thus: "That Buddha, the Perfectly Awakened One, is now in the West." Binding their thoughts, reflecting, and contemplating without ceasing, clear and distinct, they will ultimately succeed in seeing that Amitābha Buddha. In this way they contemplate the physical body.' Further below, the sūtra also states: 'Now Amitābha Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Perfectly Awakened One, possesses such thirty-two marks and eighty minor characteristics, the light of his body color being like a heap of molten gold... in this way, even down to not being mindful of that Tathāgata, nor apprehending that Tathāgata's physical form—in this sequence one attains the samādhi of emptiness. Good son! This is the samādhi of the Buddhas' presence.' Furthermore, the Guanfo sanmei hai jing says: 'The Tathāgata also possesses the dharmakāya's ten powers, four fearlessnesses, three liberations, and various supernatural workings. Such subtle points are not the sphere of study for you ordinary people; you should only generate thoughts of rejoicing with a deep mind. Having generated this thought, you should again bind your mindfulness and be mindful of the Buddha's virtues.' Therefore, we know that beginners contemplate that physical body, while advanced practitioners are mindful of the dharmakāya; hence it says 'in this sequence one attains the samādhi of emptiness.' Furthermore, for those who take joy in contemplating the Buddha of principle, he manifests the formless body; for those who seek to be mindful of the phenomenal body, he expounds the form possessing the physical marks. One must properly comprehend the sūtra's intention and not give rise to a mind of deprecation or praise, marveling at how the Great Sage skillfully adapts to faculties and capacities.